Australian Women’s Weekly, Australia’s first magazine dedicated exclusively to women’s interests, celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. Although the magazine is known for its coverage centered on family and child-rearing, early editions of the weekly also created a space for Australian women to engage with politics through the lens of femininity.
Since its inception in June 1933, the weekly magazine has provided Australian women with a forum to learn, discuss and debate a wide range of issues. The magazine’s coverage throughout the 1930s reveals how the magazine negotiated the tension between conservative and progressive views on women’s involvement in politics.
Weekly magazines and the 1930s
After researching women’s interests, George Warnecke, the magazine’s first editor-in-chief, developed a prototype publication tailored to female readers. He wanted it to have a “uniquely Australian feel”. [and] Appeals to a wide range of age groups. ”
The Weekly Magazine quickly gained popularity. The original estimated print run was 50,000 copies, which increased to 121,162 copies. By the end of 1939, the weekly magazine’s circulation was 445,000.
Originally launched as a “44-page black and white newspaper”, it sold for 2 pence and was printed in broadsheet columns following traditional newspaper format. It appealed to female readers with its attractive image of femininity. The cover story of the first issue was about women’s fashion in Sydney.
However, the paper soon moved away from this format and towards covers centered around a single evocative image. This change was visible from his August 1933 to September 1933, when the picture on the cover became increasingly prominent. Eventually, they took over the entire page.
The paper covered topics such as fashion, beauty, housekeeping, entertainment, and current events.first edition other A cover story about the League of Women Voters’ recent conference in Adelaide under the headline “An Equal Society” right for sex”.
In early issues, political topics were primarily covered in the ‘Viewpoints’ section of the editorial page, which served as a forum for short, critical comments on issues that the editorial team considered important to Australian women.
This space included reader responses. Another dedicated column, “So They Say,” provided a space for readers to discuss past articles, current events, and social issues.
politics and family
The weekly magazine’s coverage of current events and reader submissions created a platform for women to analyze political topics. However, it balanced the tension between conservative and progressive perspectives on women’s involvement in politics to cater to commercial audiences.
In a March 1934 editorial, Warnecke declared that “this newspaper knows nothing about politics” and that “most women have no particular political interest.” He argued that a woman’s sphere of influence was in the home.
But Warnecke hinted that women can still influence society and culture. Although they were outside formal institutions, they could politically shape the state in other ways. “Public opinion begins as a personal opinion and is formed within the family.”
The editorial suggested that the weekly’s reporting was not “apolitical” as interpreted by one of its readers, Miss Clark. Rather, by claiming to separate the social from the political, the paper succeeded in establishing a forum for both conservative and progressive ideological perspectives.
An example of this can be seen in the editorial “Women and Democracy” published on July 14, 1934, which showcases the political influence women had over their families.
The fact is, [women] Although they may not participate publicly in politics, Australian women wield strong influence during elections. The reason for this is not only her right to vote, but also because her opinion is highly valued by the men in her family.
Ms Warnecke also defended women’s right to vote, insisting: “There has never been a serious issue of Australian women being in an ‘inferior’ position because of their gender.”
Read more: What Australian Women’s Weekly told 50-something housewives about the Cold War
Australian women’s political interests
Although the weekly magazines often framed political debate through social and cultural perspectives, early editions were still rich in traditional political reportage. This is evident in feature articles, occasional columns, and reader contributions that advocate the importance of women’s involvement in political institutions.
Mrs. V. Cantwell’s October 1933 contribution put her at odds with a fellow reader, identified by the initials AS, who declared that women were not interested in politics. Mr. Cantwell retorted:
The improved situation of women and children today in terms of social services, general health, etc. is directly attributable to the fact that women are taking an increasingly reliable interest in public affairs.
Cantwell’s contribution presents a progressive view of contemporary Australian women. Her article, written in response to another reader, demonstrates the weekly’s willingness to foster dialogue and discussion.
Historian Hannah Viney developed the concept of “feminized politics” to explain the way in which “the domestic and political threads were intertwined” in weekly magazine reporting in the 1950s. Here, she makes clear that even in the 1930s, the weekly allowed readers who were “politically inclined, politically ambivalent, or somewhere in between” a forum to participate in political reporting. I understand.
Towards the end of the decade, as war in Europe began to seem inevitable, Weekly readers were keen to understand the extremist ideologies that threatened world peace. This is evident in Miss M. Muir’s reader contribution, published on August 12, 1939, under the heading “Knowledge of Foreign Politics Required.”
Ms Muir believed that fewer than one in 50 Australian women understood the meaning of the Nazi, fascist and communist movements. She proposed that the Department of Education provide a paper lecture to Australian women “on the potential for political danger”.
“Knowledge of modern foreign policy should not be left solely to men,” she argued.
The publication of Mr. Muir’s article in the highlighted box in the “So They Say” column signifies the paper’s consent.